


accidental lovers

by orphan_account



Category: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Genre: F/F, F/M, High School, Internalized Transphobia, M/M, Trans Audrey, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, dr farb that is, i wish i knew where i was going with this, orin has a bad time, tags will be added as i update, this orins personality is heavily based on the original, trans orin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:38:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Seymour can catch a glimpse of Audrey's smile before she turns her head away. "Don't let Orin catch you saying that. She'll think you're trying to steal her boyfriend."





	1. Chapter 1

Seymour doesn't think privilege exists in the fact that she likes girls, nor that it necessarily _should_ , but something in her wants to say that maybe she should get the girl rather than Orin _fucking_ Scrivello.

Orin is _straight_ , and she gets the girl.

Not that Seymour feels like she has a claim. She just thinks it's a little unfair that Audrey -- _Audrey,_  even her name is dreamy -- has to settle for someone who won't even call her a girl. Seymour doesn't think she deserves Audrey, but she _knows_ that Orin doesn't. She'd rather Audrey was with someone who respected her, no matter who it is.

She catches up to Audrey on the way home from school. Their houses are in the same direction, to a point, and Seymour looks forward to walking home with her every day. To a point, until she's walking alone.

"Hey, Audrey," She says, wishing she were just a little taller so she could look Audrey in the eye without straining herself. She focuses on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping up with Audrey's brisk pace. "You look nice today. Is that a new shirt?"

Audrey hesitates. She looks down at her shirt -- it's pretty plain, grey and collared, but she wears it well. She brushes a piece of hair behind her ear and gives a shy smile. "Yeah. Orin got it for me. Says it makes me look less… Less like a pretty-boy, you know. Tougher. More suitable to be a boyfriend."

"Oh, I wish she wouldn't say things like that to you," Seymour says without thinking. She hesitates, considering where she might be going with this, and then follows through . "I mean, you never look like a pretty-boy. You look tough, but not… not in that way." She laughs awkwardly. "You look pretty. I'm digging myself into a hole, here, I think. I think you look pretty."

Seymour can catch a glimpse of Audrey's smile before she turns her head away. "Don't let Orin catch you saying that. She'll think you're trying to steal her boyfriend."

"I don't see why I'd do that," Seymour says, picking up the pace a little to stick at Audrey's side. "She ain't got no boyfriend, she should know she ain't got no boyfriend. Is she still being awful to you? You know, you don't deserve that."

Audrey shrugs. "I think I might. I'm not what she signed up for, anyway. It's like false advertising. At least, that's what she told me."

Seymour furrows her eyebrows. She stops walking, catching Audrey's wrist in her hand lightly -- so Audrey could pull away easily if she wanted to. They're barely touching, but Audrey stops and turns to look at her.

"Audrey," She says softly. "You're not a product, it's not false advertising."

"I think, if I knew before, and I didn't tell her..."

"It's still not false advertising," Seymour promises.

She lets go of Audrey's wrist, her arm falling awkwardly to her side. Audrey's eyes fall to her shoes as she scuffs them against the pavement.

"I should--" She says. "I, uh. Orin is expecting me, and I don't want to be late. She'll get mad, and I don't want her to get mad. I… I'll see you tomorrow, Seymour."

Seymour nods, watching Audrey turn and walk away. Her gaze turns to her shoes.

"And Seymour?"

Seymour glances up to see Audrey turned back to look at her a few feet away.

"Yeah?"

Audrey smiles. "Thanks."

Seymour waits until she's gone to walk home.


	2. Chapter 2

Audrey remembers telling Orin that she was a girl so vividly that it almost seems like it was yesterday. She remembers the look of disgust on Orin's face, but not enough disgust for them to break up.

She thinks that Orin likes having somebody to boss around. She's always been loud and demanding, even when they first got together freshman year.

Orin's never been  _ nice.  _ She's always been a flurry of anger and sarcasm with a penchant for arguing. Audrey fell for her because she was pretty and feisty and smelled nice and because Orin wanted her around. Sometimes. A little bit. At first.

And nobody ever wanted her around.

She knocks on Orin's front door lightly, and winces when it swings open hard.

"At least you knocked this time," Orin tells her, quickly spinning on a heel to trudge up the stairs. Audrey frowns and tugs on her backpack straps, carefully shutting the door behind her before she follows Orin up the stairs to her bedroom.

Orin opens the window and leans against the inner sill. She sticks a cigarette in her mouth to light it.

"You could get cancer like that," Audrey says.

Orin scowls at her and she shrinks back. It's times like this that she wishes she could have a reasonable conversation with Orin without it escalating into something else. Into shouting and insults. Audrey has a hard enough time with her self esteem  _ without _ Orin involved.

"Why do you bother showing up?" Orin finally asks her. "Just in general."

Audrey frowns. "Whaddya mean?"

Orin doesn't turn to look at her. She stares out the window, distant, with glazed over eyes.

"I'm not nice to you, A…" She chokes up on her sentence a little bit, trying to get the words out right.  _ "Audrey _ ."

Audrey blinks. She sits up a little straighter.

"You called me Audrey," She says in disbelief.

Orin still doesn't look at her. "I know. I wanted to try it."

"Oh, Orin, I--"

"Audrey, I'm straight," Orin interrupts. She finally turns to look at Audrey, and the skin around her eyes is red. "Audrey, I've never been dumped before. I'm not having such a great time with… Well, with a lot of things. Why haven't you dumped me?"

Audrey thinks admitting that she's scared is the wrong way to go here, what with seeing Orin more torn up than she ever had. She hesitates, trying to think it over a little bit.

"You don't have to answer that," Orin finally says. She turns to look out the window again. "I'm a bitch. I'm sorry."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Audrey asks hesitantly, trying to be careful. She knows she's walking on thin ice right now. "I've never heard you like this before, Orin. You've never apologized to me before."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Orin says simply. She's back to being snappy and irritable, but Audrey can see the vulnerability is still there. "Not that it concerns you. It doesn't."

"Why weren't you at school today?"

Orin shrugs. "Didn't feel like it. Why  _ were _ you at school today?"

"The teachers already don't like me so much," Audrey explains softly. "I gotta stay on their good sides."

Orin nods slowly. She flicks her cigarette out the window, and says, without looking at Audrey, "It's over. We're over. It was a long time coming."

Audrey frowns. She looks at her feet.

"Does this mean you'll call me a girl?"

Orin glances at Audrey and hesitates.

"We'll see," She says.


	3. Chapter 3

Orin pretty much underthinks her breakup with Audrey. 

It happens, and then it’s done. She recognizes how awful she’s been for half of a second, and breaks up with Audrey before Audrey can break up with her first. 

The next day at school, she can’t help but feel like everyone is staring at her -- and it’s different, now. She doesn’t know what’s so different about it, but it’s certainly different. 

She shakes it off. 

 

When she gets home, she does everything in her power to make sure her neighbor doesn’t get to talking to her before she goes inside. She doesn’t want to humor him today, she’s not in the mood.

“Genevieve,” the boy whispers through gritted teeth. Orin sighs, pockets her key, and kneels down to meet where Arthur Denton is poking his head through a gap in the fence between their houses.

“Call me Genevieve one more time and I come over there and break your nose,” she says, a grin spreading across her face. 

Arthur laughs. “Empty threat, I know. Otherwise you would have done it by now. I’m waiting, Genny, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

Orin sighs, rolling her eyes. She stands up, brushes the dirt off her knees, and takes her key from her pocket. 

“Don’t you go to school?” She asks. 

Arthur shakes his head. “Homeschooled. This is the only social interaction I get, Orin, and I look forward to it. Every. Single. Day.”

Orin clenches her fists, but resolves to put off punching this kid for another day. She’ll certainly see him tomorrow. 

 

The first thing Orin does when she gets inside is call Audrey. She doesn’t know why she does it, and she kind of regrets it immediately, but she calls Audrey and invites her over. 

Then she hangs up and screams “Fuck” at the top of her lungs. 

 

Audrey is there within the half hour. Orin can hear her heels click up the stairs. She lays back on her bed and covers her face with her hands.

“Orin?” Audrey asks quietly. “Are you feelin’ okay? I didn’t expect to be hearin’ from you so soon after…”

“After I broke up with you,” Orin says. “I know. I didn’t expect to be callin’ you either, you know.” 

Audrey sits down on the bed next to her. Orin pushes herself up, and she feels like her bones are glow-sticks. 

“How did you deal with me being so awful to you?” 

Audrey shrugs. She looks down at her feet. “I cared about you, Orin. I still do.” 

Orin nods slowly. 

“Kid next door keeps calling me Genevieve. Only person who calls me that is my mama. I really wish they wouldn't, you know.”

“I know the feeling,” Audrey admits. She fidgets with her fingers. “Every day of my life, I gotta hear all the wrong stuff. And when it’s people you like -- like your ma, I know you love her a lot, Orin, so it’s harder.”

Something about that really shakes Orin to her core. She needs to take a breath, but Audrey keeps talking. 

“That Seymour, though. She always listened to me.” Audrey smiles. “And she always believed me.”

“I believed you,” Orin promises. “I mean, I wasn’t so great about it, I know. But it wasn’t because I didn’t believe you. It was because I’m… I mean, I’m straight.” But it doesn’t feel so right to say that, so she shakes her head and tries again. “I mean, I like guys. That’s what I mean.”

“Makes you straight,” Audrey says. “I know I shouldn’t have expected… I mean--”

“Not straight,” Orin interrupts. “You’re not, are you?”

 “I liked you a whole bunch,” Audrey reminds her. “No, I’m not straight. And Seymour…”

Orin shakes her head quickly. “Audrey.” She feels like something’s caught in her throat. “Audrey.”

Audrey frowns. “What is it, Orin, what’s the matter?”

Orin glances at her with wide eyes, and tries to ignore the fear bubbling up in her stomach.

“Audrey, I think I’m like you. I mean… I… I don’t know, and I don’t want to -- I mean, I don’t want to be like that, I don’t, and I was so awful, but I can’t have been the only one. It’s not something that --”

“Orin,” Audrey interrupts. Orin’s mouth snaps shut. “It’s  _ okay _ . It’s scary, it’s real scary, I know. And if I can help you, it’s… I will.”

“I’m not sure,” Orin mumbles. “I just thought…”

“I can help you figure it out,” Audrey offers. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but people like us… we gotta stick together. So even if you just think, maybe, I’d like to be there for you.” She hesitates. “As a friend.”

Orin swallows thickly and nods. “Thank you. I’m sorry. Thank you.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**** Alright. Sure. Arthur Denton thinks Orin Scrivello is hot. Like, really hot. Something about her short, choppy haircut and the skinny jeans she’s always wearing and the black lipstick and the tongue piercing -- oh,  _ fuck _ , the tongue piercing. 

Maybe he just hasn’t gotten around much, being homeschooled and all, but Arthur thinks that Orin is probably the hottest girl he’s ever seen. 

He knows when she gets home every afternoon and when she leaves for school every morning, so he sits behind the fence between their houses and waits for her. 

“Genevieve!” He shouts, watching as she jumps at his voice. She slams the side door to her house.

“Denton, seriously, if you don’t quit calling me that I’m going to frame you for a crime or something,” She spits. Her hands climb up to tug on the strings of her hoodie, tightening the hood a little bit around her face. A few of the longer pieces of hair hang out. Her tongue piercing flashes when she licks her lip nervously.

“Alright, whatever,” Arthur says, holding his hands up in surrender. He stands up, and his head pokes over the fence. Her eyes follow him up. “Orin it is. How’s that boyfriend of yours?”

“We broke up. He -- She, sorry, she and I talked it out. We’re better off as friends. Holy fuck, you’re tall.” 

“Six foot two,” Arthur declares proudly. “She?” 

“Yeah,” Orin says, but offers no means of explanation. “Can I go to school now? Or are you planning on continuing to harass me?”

“I’ll walk you,” Arthur offers, and he knows that Orin is going to say no, but he’s always been good at being pushy.

“No,” She says, starting to walk away, but Arthur is following her down the fence.

“I’ve been told I make great company,” He tells her.

She snorts. “By who, your mom?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. My mom says I’m great company. Let me walk you.”

“Really, I’m fine,” Orin promises. Arthur doesn’t let up. He walks her the whole way to school, talking about the weather and how he wishes he had a social life and how her tongue piercing is so cool, he wishes he had piercings but his mom wouldn't let him get any. They look like they hurt. He thinks that’s cool.

“Get ‘em pierced by yourself,” Orin tells him. “That’s what I did. Three in each ear, my tongue, and my bellybutton.” 

Arthur blinks. “Your bellybutton? Really? Can I see?”

Orin rolls her eyes, unzipping her hoodie and pulling her baggy shirt up, and sure enough, there’s a shiny gold snake on her bellybutton.

“Wow,” Arthur marvels, but as soon as her shirt was up, it’s down again.

“Yeah, whatever.” Orin snickers. “Go home. I’m gonna be late to class.”

Arthur watches her leave for class, and then turns on his heel and whistles the whole way home.


End file.
